University of Utah Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency Program

Cinthia and Haley had the opportunity to represent the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at the Simulation Showcase— part of the grand opening of the new Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine!

Cinthia played the role of a patient while Haley guided event guests- including donors, faculty, future doctors, and many others, through a patient transfer scenario, demonstrating why hands-on-practice in high-fidelity simulation centers, is crucial to best prepare PT students for practice in hospital settings!

Thanks, Cinthia, for participating in this great event.

Join us in welcoming our newest University of Utah Acute Care PT resident! We are thrilled to have Cinthia with us for the year and wait to see how much she grows as a clinician through structured residency training. Make sure to say hi 👋🏻 if you see Cinthia around the hospital!

A bit about Cinthia:

Hi everyone! My name is Cinthia Rosales, and I’m originally from Houston, TX. I attended physical therapy school at University of St. Augustine in Austin, TX in 2024, where I developed a strong interest in acute care and helping patients navigate recovery during some of their most vulnerable moments.

I chose Utah for residency because of the opportunity to continue growing as a clinician through strong mentorship, exposure to a wide variety of patient populations, and the chance to challenge myself in a new environment. I’m especially looking forward to expanding my clinical reasoning skills, learning from experienced clinicians, connecting with other residents who are passionate about patient care, and shadowing different surgeries to better understand post op surgeries/procedures.

Outside of physical therapy, I enjoy traveling (especially solo traveling), spending time with my dog, trying new coffee shops and brunch restaurants, and staying active. I’m also excited to explore everything Utah has to offer—from the mountains and national parks to experiencing all four seasons! I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and starting this next chapter together!

Did you know— our acute care residents get to work with 12+ exceptional clinical mentors throughout their 12-month program? Each mentor is a wealth of clinical and professional expertise and gets the opportunity to pour some of that knowledge and confidence into our residents. We are So fortunate to work in a healthcare system that is just bursting at the seams with top-notch clinicians that we can pull into our residency program as mentors.

Residents get to nominate one mentor each year for this award. It’s always so tough to choose!

This year, Marta wanted to recognize Bryan Lohse, PT, DPT, CCS for his mentorship throughout the year. Bryan’s mentorship always seems to expand beyond his cardiopulm expertise into tips on advocating for your profession, working with interdisciplinary teams, getting the most out of learning opportunities, how to have the most fun at national conferences, and truly how to LOVE being a physical therapist.

Thanks, Bryan, for being an exceptional mentor. We are lucky to have you!

Did you know- our residents are encouraged to think about clinical questions and even supported to answer some of their own clinical questions using data.

🧠 Marta’s research project this year was a retrospective analysis of EMR data to characterize what happens when patients leave the ICU before their ICU-delirium resolves. Routine assessments of delirium in the ICU such as the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) have become standardized in nursing care. But not all patients have their delirium resolved before transfer to another acute care floor.

📊 Health system data showed that >25% of patients with ICU delirium still were testing positive on the CAM-ICU during their last day on the ICU.

🤔 So are these patients being screened and managed for their ongoing delirium on the acute care floors where such assessments are not part of standard care? The data found, in most cases, no follow up assessment was ever completed.

So, if ICU delirium can persist after ICU discharge, how can we make sure these patients are getting the delirium management and care they need to help it resolve before hospital discharge? Marta’s research highlighted some critical gaps in care for this vulnerable patient population and highlights the need for standardized delirium assessments and more proactive management on acute care floors. Rehab professionals may play a key role in filling this gap.

📈 Well done, Marta, for recognizing an important clinical question related to acute care rehab, and following through on this project. Care will improve because you asked these important questions.

We celebrated our outgoing and incoming classes of residents last night alongside mentors, leadership, and friends.

Join us in congratulating Marta Cholewa, PT, DPT on successfully completing our acute care physical therapy residency program! Marta joined us last year fresh out of her DPT program in St.Louis, learned and grew alongside all of us here for the past year. Marta will be returning to the Midwest to launch her career as an exceptional clinician and future leader and change-maker in the world of acute care physical therapy.

Congrats, Marta! We will miss you!

Did you know— our residents typically are working in patient care 30 hours per week, leaving time for about 10 hours per week of other residency requirements such as teaching, research, service, didactics, and professional development.

This structure also leaves time for a great work-life balance, because why live in Utah if you don’t have the time to explore and enjoy all our beautiful state has to offer.

Marta made time for weekly soccer games, regular workouts, hiking, snowboarding, and exploring her backyard while here in Utah- a great example of how a residency year can be so much more than just hard work. ❤️ 💪🏻

Acute care resident .ch12 is finishing out her residency year strong 💪🏻

And by strong, we mean she’s a BEAST! Loved watching this girl crush the Spartan Beast race on one of the hottest days on record and still crossing the finish line with a smile on her face!

Proud of you, Marta, for making time for fun and fitness during your residency year. Two more weeks until you cross the residency finish line!

Mark your calendars!
Come learn about PT residency education as a pathway to clinical excellence and specifics of each of our SIX specialty residencies offered here at

NEW PUBLICATION ALERT ‼️ 🔔

Does co-treating between physical and occupational therapies in acute care limit the value we provide as professionals? Value to the patients? Value to the department? Value to the healthcare system?

In this new publication in the Journal of Acute Care Physical Therapy, lead author, , teams up with PT leaders from other healthcare systems and Occupational Therapy Colleague to provide a compelling perspective on the value of reducing co-treatment in acute care!

We hope all of our acute care PT and OT colleagues will take time to read this piece and reflect on how to maximize the value of their skills and provide the best possible care to our patients.

It’s not all work and no fun around here!

Proof that we do get out to play- a fun night at the game after work with resident, .ch12, program Director, and internal medicine mentor,